I couldn't figure out what to go with for the thumbnail, so I went for the weirdest drawing of the year. The animation in that bar scene is so loose and weird for The Simpsons.
Hi the real Jims, you have always been one of my favourite if not my number one favourite Simpsons youtubers, you don’t need to rely on fancy thumbnails to wow me with your videos
I know people are dreading for the arrival of "zombie Simpsons" but I'm excited for it. You rarely get people analyzing those seasons individually for their strenghts and weaknesses rather than going "all of these seasons and episodes are BAD".
I agree with you! Something that I would be interested to see would be if there are some seasons or episodes that, perhaps, were tossed away and quickly dismissed as "bad" as of the time of their airing, that could now be looked upon in a better light after a critical re-evaluation.
I would like to see the comments about the later seasons as well. People always dismiss seasons 9 and later because others say the seasons are bad. They certainly aren't as good as the first eight (although I gotta say I like seasons 9 and 16) but are hit and miss usually. There are episodes worth watching in those seasons imo. The real downfall is honestly season 20 for me.
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For me, season 8 will aways be the best gateway for anyone that wants to start watching the simpsons. It’s retro, but doesn’t alienate newer audiences, it’s surreal and exaggerated but it’s still far from “old people taking a drug that makes their eyeballs fall out” and its many realistic and down to earth jokes hit HARD. It’s my favorite season, even though many consider it to be past the “golden era”, it just radiates that carefree fun that is characteristic of the simpsons at its best and that’s what i think it’s most important
It's considered by many as part of the golden age but also the beginning of the decline of the show. I will always still consider season 7 the best season.
I think “bridge season” is the best way to describe what I’ve always saw season eight as. I remember in college and I looked at the list of episodes that are up there, it always came across as a random but strong group. Still a time where the show was really sweet (like with Marge singing “You Are My Sunshine”), but still early enough in the “joke endings” to where they jarring nature of them makes them hilarious (rewatched Burns Baby Burns last month and I definitely went “?????? Yeah?” at the end). Great video as always, Jims!
I should add, Marge is fully to blame for Lisa's babysitting troubles. She had to know Bart would not tolerate that. Bart was both smart and stupid in this episode. He knew exactly how to torture his sister, yet also pounded a knot on his head out of spite
Marge's stupidity in that episode makes it my all-time least-favourite episode of the classic era. No way would she have allowed that even a season earlier.
I feel like the eight season represents the final Voyage of the shows' true form. Season 8 is just so bizarre, so meta, and so interesting. It deconstructs so many topics and even taking on the television industry, or a successful relationship, eventually going full circle with the masterpiece 'Homer's Enemy' which deconstructs the show itself!
I love the season, but there is one big problem that I’ve always had with it: In the x-files crossover episode, they make a joke about how Donkey Kong is a washed up star, claiming that he’s “not a draw anymore.” However in 1994, donkey Kong country released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System to high acclaim and massive popularity. Seeing as this season aired from 1996 through 1997, these games would’ve already been released by the time the episodes were being produced. Are we to assume The Simpsons takes place in some sort of alternate timeline where Nintendo never made Donkey Kong Country? Boy, I sure do hope somebody got fired for that blunder.
Hate Mate Perhaps they were making fun of the fact that DK wasn’t the star character in Donkey Kong Country 2 & 3, especially the latter where he just took a backseat in his game. By the time of this season’s run, DK 64 was just an fictitious idea amongst Nintendo fans and one year away from being revealed publicly at E3.
I always understood it as being a jab at not Donkey Kong himself, but literally the arcade game; the DK SNES games were terrifically popular, but by that point the older arcade title would have been exactly as joked about - a washed up star
Hate Mate I’m guessing the writers didn’t even know Donkey Kong country existed. People from that time and even now acknowledgement of video games only goes up the late 80s. I feel like there’s a bigger disconnect between fans of video games and general pop culture then there are of other mediums.
The party aspect was definitely what struck me most about this season. So many episodes are happy to conclude with a big singalong or a party on the beach. It's just a lot of fun.
hate to be a downer but jims has said he doesn't like the NY episode very much. It'll still probably be in the top 10 cause there's not a lot to pick from in season 9
I think season 9 is pretty underrated and has some gems like the murder house episode and titans of trash, although I would say it marks the end of the golden era
@@acblook No chance that makes it in his top ten even so. Re-arrange any of these to the preffered order, cut two to taste, and you'd have a perfectly cromulent s9 top ten: Lisa's Sax, Treehouse, Bart Star, Lisa the Skeptic, Reality Bites, Joy of Sect, Last Temptation, Lisa the Simpson, Simpson Tide, Girly Edition, Lost our Lisa, and Natural Born Kissers.
Season 8 was the first box set I got as a kid and therefore my first full exposure to the series. The season contains Hank Scorpio, Poochie, Frank Grimes, The Maison Derrière, Mr. Sparkle, Sheri Bobbins, Larry Burns... that's a DAMN good track record. Probably my favorite season.
There is a theme in season 8 of failure to change. That in the end we are who we are, most episodes atick to this. Starting with Homer having to leave the only job he was good at to Sherry Bobbins faiiling to Sideshow Bob going to prison in spite of doing good. Mr.Burns fails to be a loving father. When he does good, he is evil Frank Grimes was the ultimate in this. His entire life was failing ro change. His big break was taken from him by a dog. Then he meets Homer and becomes determined to break Homer, only to break himself. Appropriately the season ends with Lisa succcessfully changing a part of herself by beating the eliminator. That is my take.
Finally, the retrospective ive been waiting for. Season 8 is so dear to me. As always, i really love the production side analysis and insight you provide.
It's impossible to imagine anyone extracting this much depth and nuance from any other sitcom. Goes to show how much ingenuity is packed into the Simpsons! There is never a moment wasted.
Season 8 is one of my favorite seasons, there’s some great characters introduced there (Hank, Poochie, Cecil, & Grimey to name a few) & the episodes are all fun to watch
It's always great to get these from you Jims. Season 8 is definitely a great season, and like most I consider it the last truly classic season of the show even though I do still like a good amount of episodes from Seasons 9-14. I think Season 8 is the best example where the show was able to experiment and try out wackier concepts while still maintaining the heart and soul that the series had from the beginning. I think "heart" is one of the best words to use for what the more modern seasons lack. The reason that goofier and more experimental side worked so well here is because the show never betrayed what it was from the start in doing so. True many of the episodes here don't always have the funny but also heart warming feel that the earlier seasons had, but that doesn't mean that the show's heart was lost. I still love many episodes from this season, and many of my favorite moments include the musical number from Bart After Dark, the entirety of You Only Move Twice, and the awkward yet sweet relationship between Skinner and Edna in Grade School Confidential. I also love all the fun moments from The Springfield Files, and the crazy acid trip that Homer has is weirdness done right in the show. While Season 8 isn't in the top 5 of my favorite of the classic seasons, I still regard it as one of the series' best, and I look forward to your top 10 for this season. Great job as always dude, and your Simpsons content is always great to watch in these rather awful times we're currently having. You really are a great UA-camr.
Does anyone else remember when Bart let his dog eat Milhouse’s goldfish, then he lied and said he never had a goldfish but then why did he have the bowl, Bart? *WHY DID HE HAVE THE BOWL?*
Season 8 is one I’ve never disliked although I always left it off the Golden Age until I finally rewatched it a few years ago for the first time in over a decade. In terms of one big lump, seasons 2-8 are what I would consider the full Golden Age of THE SIMPSONS. While there is a definite shift away from the character driven stories in season 8, the freshness of the material works quite well and I still very much enjoy most of the concepts they dish out. It really isn’t until season 9 and 10 that you start to see the show fraying before it drastically begins to fall apart in 11 and 12. I would argue that Al Jean helped stabilize it somewhat for seasons 13-19 but then it nosedives after they get into the 20s. Season 8 is carefree and fun and lively while also having a chill vibe at times. You certainly hit that nail on the head. Lastly, I haven’t commented on your posts yet I don’t think but I greatly enjoy them. I think my top 10 seasons (which would be the first 10 of course) would be as follows: 4 6 7 2 3 5 8 1 10 9
Anthony Host I agree, though I’d put series 9 as part of the golden age personally. Despite the shift in Homers personality, I still thought nearly every episode was extremely solid and still got a lot of laughs. Season 10 is where the cracks definitely start to show and like you said, it just gets worse from there...
@@InputArchive Season 10 is the first inconsistent season imo, if you include the Ullman shorts which had 3 seasons, and add them to the first 9, you've got 12 very fine seasons indeed.
2-8 is my golden age as well. It's not often I see someone exclude season one from the golden age; it probably shouldn't be excluded, but I agree that it's among my least favorites because of the sad story lines (and that babysitter episode that scared the crap out of me as a kid) and bad animation. I thought season 10 was the last "good" season and 11-14 were watchable and mostly enjoyable, but clearly not as good. From 15 on I pretty much stopped watching
Al Jean dropped the ball way harder than then the skully years. Season 10 and 11 have some good episodes but season 12-20 are horrid to say the least. Completely different show and the writers/directors/showrunners had to be doing 30 hour work weeks. Everything's a first draft with those seasons.
If the Simpsons ended with this season, I think it actually would've been a fine conclusion to the series. The penultimate episode "Spinoff showcase" would have worked as a "what if" prediction of the ridiculous scenarios that would've happened if the Simpsons continued, and the military school episode as the series finale being a fairly typical family relationship episode would've been a fine note to end on.
and final episodes usually always have a bittersweet feeling to them as you watch them and know they are the last one which wouldve perfectly fit the episode
I always thought the 'Behind The Laughter' episode would've been a good ending, as you still get the good episodes that appeared in subsequent seasons.
The spinoff episode should have been fused into an actual Simpsons spinoff series while the episode should have been the series finale: the one that could have been a satisfying conclusion to the show had they ended right there.
It's one of my favorites as well! 4, 7, and 8 are my favorite seasons. I also think that any season that contains, arguably, the two best episodes of the entire show ("You Only Move Twice" and "Homer's Enemy"), has to be a pretty good one!
I couldn't decide on a quote, as practically every single line from this series is really memorable. "OH COUSIN MERLE, REALLY?" "Temper, temper. You know Cousin Merle ain't been quite right lately." Oh, and Johnny Cash is in this series. What more would you want?
Season 8 is definitely my favorite season, so many amazing, out-there stories and jokes. Homer's Enemy is the show's opus, as far as I'm concerned. Also, season 8 contains my all-time favorite Homer quote, courtesy of My Sister My Sitter, "Don't laugh at me! I was once like you!"
That's so true. Simpsons golden era was without debate 2-8 seasons. Just stop watching after season 8, you are only going to downgrade the experience as the next seasons after this are just plain and simple bad. Even season 1 is better than the seasons that came after season 8. I would say this is how the series should be presented: Pre golden era season 1
@@lazaroiu.iulianlazaroiu.iu6330that the spirit it was. I heard Season 9 had holdover of Season 7 or Season 8. So I can think Season 9 started to downhill franchise of The Simpsons it should have ended there especially Season 9 episode 2
@@lazaroiu.iulianlazaroiu.iu6330Classic Simpsons boomer dismissing everything after season 8 as bad, despite there being several good seasons with tons of great episodes in those ones. Heck, season 1 and maybe 2 are just plain worse than some of the ones after 8. They’re still worth watching of course but not any more than anything right after season 8.
The thing that I find so enthralling about Season 8 is its creative freedom. They didn’t have any filters this go-around, they just said and did whatever they wanted. It’s a blessing and a curse, because it’s very entertaining in the moment...but look at what happened with Season 9. I’ll always remember 8 for its experimentation, but I tend to remember its simpler episodes too. Also since you’re heading into less consistent years, you might want to consider a bottom list along with the top list from now on, give a more even look at each season’s draws and drawbacks.
BUSTED! You know, I love how the episode's "The End" credit doesn't feature music. It's like the Itchy and Scratchy writers are saying "Yeah, we don't know either."
This. It's by far my number one episode. Can't think of another episode where every single scene without exception has something genuinely funny in it, even after a few dozen watches.
Buns Baby Burns is possibly my favorite episode ever, definitely my favorite of season 8. I am, of course, blinded and biased by my love of Rodney Dangerfield, but they used him so perfectly. The "I don't get no regard, no regard at all, no esteem neither" line is brilliant. Also one of the very few Simpsons figures I chose to own is Larry Burns.
Yes! This made my day today! Season 8 is one of my favorite seasons, so I was really looking forward to this retrospective! I can't wait for the Top 10 episode list for this season!
Another great video ! I had just finished watching Season 8 and out of all the season's so far, this one for me was perhaps the hardest to rank it's episode's. I also noticed how it had a much more faster, more experimental, and an overall more different feel than the previous season. That said, I really enjoyed Season 8, it was a lot of fun to watch, although I think compared to the high bar that Season's 6 and 7 brought it does kind of feel like a stepdown, which I guess was otherwise expected. I will say that this season hands down has some of the best episode's of the entire show so far. Treehouse of Horror VII is probably the last Halloween episode of the show I would consider being consistently great, with the Citizen Kang segment easily in the top 5, especially given how the last few decade's have been in American Politics. You Only Move Twice is a perfect episode with the Simpson's family moving to a new city and end up not being satisfied, and Hank Scorpio is such a great one off character. Other great episode's include The Springfield Files, Hurricane Needy, The Mysterious Voyage Of Our Homer, Homer Vs The Eighteenth Amendment, Mountians Of Madness, The Itchy & Scratchy Show, Grade School Confidential, and, of course, Homer's Enemy. That said, there was some noticeably weaker episode's of this year. My Sister, My Sitter was kind of a weak setup of an otherwise interesting plot, and I didn't like just how cruel Bart acted here. And there's also The Twisted World Of Marge Simpson which I just kind of found to be forgettable. But other than that, and a few lighter end good episode's, Season 8 was yet another awesome season to the show. I'm not sure yet how Season 9 will turn out, as the crew from this point forward gets shaky. I know a lot of people don't consider the rest of this point on as the "Golden Age Of The Simpson's" anymore, but I still have a lot of hope. Here's my season's im terms of where I would rank them so far: 1.Season 6 2.Season 7 3.Season 5 4.Season 4 5.Season 8 6.Season 3 7.Season 2 8.Season 1
by far my favorite thing about your videos is how you manage to sneak in quotes during your review. "especially bart, but ESPECIALLY LISA" I know it's swapped around but I still appreciate it a lot lol
Thanks! You have no idea how long I debated whether that line worked better if I quoted Bob exactly or if it was better to finish with Lisa, lol. Went back and forth several times
@@rheubarbarum5423 Yeah, it is supposed to be Bart second. I decided switching it would be a more unexpected punchline and hits the Helen Lovejoy ref a bit harder
"they party so much because the Simpsons family is on drugs for so much of it, especially Bart, but *especially* Lisa" this line always makes me crack up, the visual comedy is unparalleled
Season 8 is an interesting transitional time in the history of The Simpsons (as stated in this video). Much like how the mass exodus of writers/directors following Season 4 forced the show to tweak their formula (for the better), the exit of David Silverman and Wes Archer had a profound impact on the show's animation. This season keeps that mid-'90s look, but you can tell the Season 9-onward art style is right around the corner. Then greenhorns Mike Scully and Ian Maxtone-Graham brought a different flavor to their stories that would inform the writing going forward. Even as this season was airing and S9 was in the works, Matt Groening and David X. Cohen were co-developing Futurama, putting both their attentions elsewhere. I've also heard that there was a feeling, much like w/ S4, that the show wouldn't be going for much longer (I know, funny in retrospect), so that may explain the experimental feel to this season. Oakley & Weinstein had fun playing w/ their toys in S7, and now they were ready to break them in S8, leaving the mess (a good kind) for S9 to clean up.
Dude, fantastic video man. I always love watching every single one of your videos! They're so well done and really give a lot of insight to Simpsons episodes i haven't thought twice about. Keep em coming man!
I was born in 83 so Season 8 hit around the time I was finishing grade school and entering high school, and, with that, developing a much more jaded and cynical view of the world. I think by Season 9 or 10, I was able to start looking at the show critically and, in doing so, recognize a decline. Also, the "Wizards Key" joke is one of my favourites in the series. I think I mentioned this in another video, but it's funny to me because it reminds me of licensed games that are very, very loosely based on their source material, and the way I suspect adults would react to them.
I was born in 86 and when Season 9 came out I definitely felt something was amiss, though I couldn't put my finger on it being only 11 or 12 at the time.
Love your work, really takes a lot of insight and attention to detail to deconstruct these seasons. Season 8 will forever have a special place in my heart for the special brand of humor and the introduction of Hank Scorpio.
It always amazes me how many new things I learn from there videos- I am a major fan and watched especially Season 8 so many times, cuz its my favourite, and I thought by now I noticed everything, but somehow i was never aware of the amount of party in this season. Great work as always!
S8 was definitely the turning point for me. It had a lot of hits, but it also had the beginning seeds of the random absurdity of the post-Golden Era, especially with the random endings
For me, random endings are fine as long as they are rare enough that they are genuinely surprising. Pretty soon it reaches the point where it's more surprising if they actually do a proper endinig, ala Family Guy.
I think the funny thing about seasons 7, 8 and 9 is that most shows are ending after that many seasons and the writers feel like this might be their time so let’s get introspective, or meta, or just crazy because it’s all probably gonna end soon. That’s why we have episodes like ‘Homer’s Enemy’ or ‘The Itchy and Scratchy and Poochy Show’ But of course the show kept lurching on so you get the golden age of S3-6, with the meta, introspective S7-9 so we can end on a high. But then it just kept going on.
To this day one of my favorite Simpsons moments is when Homer is walking into the ring to fight Drederick Tatum and they have “Why Can’t We Be Friends” playing on the speakers
Wow I love this season! It's so bouncy! Very good job, doing your retrospective! This is another great season to relax with and yeah it does have some of the best Moe jokes for sure! The scene with Moe and Barney in the Sherry Bobbins episode is one of my all time favorite moments ever!
I actually think the Simpions golden age ended more ambiguously during the mid Bush years. Mainly when the episodes became a lot more topical to reflect the satire of the era.
Your channel gave me the motivation to make a spreadsheet rating every Simpsons episode from 1-400 (with the Simpsons Movie at the end). Love every upload, keep it up
"It doesn't matter which one of us you vote for, your planet is doomed. DOOMED!!" "(Chuckles) Well, that was a refreshingly honest reply from Senator Dole."
Love your channel especially the Simpsons Mysteries. Looking forward to retrospectives on seasons 15 onward since I usually stick with “Golden Age” Simpsons and not sure which episodes are worth watching in later seasons
I think Simpsons would have ended perfectly with an episode that would have celebrated the destruction of the media landscape of 1980s: The main thing that motivated to make the show in the first place.
I think Abe was the biggest loser this season. After being a badass last season, he’s reduced to chasing a turtle that took his teeth. In the same episode he’s just lost in the woods for some reason and there’s also "I had the dream again".
In fairness the 'badass' side of Abe being the more hidden aspect of him was the norm. If anything he's improved since 'Old Money' where a turtle completely outpaces him. XD
*Mr. Burns* - How did Season 8 do? *Season 6 Simpsons* - He spelled "Yale" with a 6. *Season 7 Simpsons* - He made light of my weight problem, then suggested my motto should be semper fudge. At that point he told me to "relax".
I couldn't figure out what to go with for the thumbnail, so I went for the weirdest drawing of the year. The animation in that bar scene is so loose and weird for The Simpsons.
Oh jeez, this looks bad. Better turn on the ol' Wiggum charm.
@@LoppartG he looks like sonic the hedgehog in sonic adventure
Hi the real Jims, you have always been one of my favourite if not my number one favourite Simpsons youtubers, you don’t need to rely on fancy thumbnails to wow me with your videos
I would’ve put ghost Abe Lincoln to summarize s8. Such a beautiful and cursed image
@@LoppartG AH! PERVERT!
So you want a realistic down-to-earth season... that's completely off the wall and swarming with metatextual awareness and surrealism?
Oh, and also you should win things by watching!
One kid seems to love the speedo man.
You kids don't know what you want, that's why you're still kids!
That’s it little girl. You saved Itchy and Scratchy
Please sign these papers indicating you did not save Itchy and Scratchy
*The audio commentary for Two Bad Neighbors pretty much sums up this season--extremely meta and nobody knows what to think*
To summarize the seasons so far
1 - rough
2 - down-to-earth
3 - imaginative
4 - chill
5 - big
6 - intense
7 - interspective
8 - self aware
Can you do seasons 9-whatever they're up to. This is so accurate
@@jadedemotions9891 13-31: Homogeneous
@@olivianeutronbomb5502 tired
It's eerie how good and concise this summary is
So you want a rough, down to earth, chill, and image conscious show that's totally big, imaginative, intense, meta and experimental?
I know people are dreading for the arrival of "zombie Simpsons" but I'm excited for it. You rarely get people analyzing those seasons individually for their strenghts and weaknesses rather than going "all of these seasons and episodes are BAD".
they do have some decent episodes, but damn are they _rare_
I agree with you! Something that I would be interested to see would be if there are some seasons or episodes that, perhaps, were tossed away and quickly dismissed as "bad" as of the time of their airing, that could now be looked upon in a better light after a critical re-evaluation.
I would like to see the comments about the later seasons as well. People always dismiss seasons 9 and later because others say the seasons are bad. They certainly aren't as good as the first eight (although I gotta say I like seasons 9 and 16) but are hit and miss usually. There are episodes worth watching in those seasons imo. The real downfall is honestly season 20 for me.
I'm looking forward to them
Zombies?
“Only WHO can prevent forest fires?” “You have selected ‘you’, referring to me. This is incorrect. The correct answer is YOU!”
One of my favorite scenes. Criminally underrated.
I always wanted to see what would happen if you pressed ‘Me’ instead.
Probly one of my favorite jokes
@@ShadeKirby500 and therein lies the genius of the joke :D
@@ShadeKirby500 "You have pressed "ME", referring to me. The correct answer is You!"
“Lisa, you don’t spend ten years as a homicidal maniac without learning a few things about DYNAMITE” is my favourite line of the season.
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It’s also Kelsey Grammar’s favourite line as Sideshow Bob ever
@@thunderbolt8541 thank you for helping spread awareness.
@@theletterl8948 thank you friend, I usually get told to bug off, so I really appreciate instances like this when someone is polite and kind
@@janetsnakehole-macklin6426 But he thought he'd insisted on saying "an homicidal maniac".
“Look daddy, Todd’s stupid and I’m with him!”
"looking good, Rodd... looking good..."
And now mommy's stupid!
@@Dingalow He's no Butthole Surfer. :)
I'm a torso!!!!
Look Daddy! I'm a surfer!
For me, season 8 will aways be the best gateway for anyone that wants to start watching the simpsons. It’s retro, but doesn’t alienate newer audiences, it’s surreal and exaggerated but it’s still far from “old people taking a drug that makes their eyeballs fall out” and its many realistic and down to earth jokes hit HARD. It’s my favorite season, even though many consider it to be past the “golden era”, it just radiates that carefree fun that is characteristic of the simpsons at its best and that’s what i think it’s most important
It's considered by many as part of the golden age but also the beginning of the decline of the show. I will always still consider season 7 the best season.
@@actic555 well actually Season 9 started downhill, but Season 8 was last good season that something I known
I think “bridge season” is the best way to describe what I’ve always saw season eight as. I remember in college and I looked at the list of episodes that are up there, it always came across as a random but strong group. Still a time where the show was really sweet (like with Marge singing “You Are My Sunshine”), but still early enough in the “joke endings” to where they jarring nature of them makes them hilarious (rewatched Burns Baby Burns last month and I definitely went “?????? Yeah?” at the end).
Great video as always, Jims!
I await the day you two make a crossover video. I'm betting on that alligator was still alive one.
Scorpio: By the way, Homer, what's your least favorite country, Italy or France?
Homer: France.
Scorpio: **ha ha** Nobody ever says Italy.
The 52nd St bridge!
Maybe it just fell down.
We can't take that chance.
I took 2 years of French in high school and I prefer Italy anyway.
There's basically nothing that Italy doesn't do better than France tbh
@@EndOfSmallSanctuary97 As a french , i agree.
Italy and France start a war.
Italy changes sides and France surrenders.
Both lose.
I should add, Marge is fully to blame for Lisa's babysitting troubles. She had to know Bart would not tolerate that. Bart was both smart and stupid in this episode. He knew exactly how to torture his sister, yet also pounded a knot on his head out of spite
Marge's stupidity in that episode makes it my all-time least-favourite episode of the classic era. No way would she have allowed that even a season earlier.
I feel like the eight season represents the final Voyage of the shows' true form. Season 8 is just so bizarre, so meta, and so interesting. It deconstructs so many topics and even taking on the television industry, or a successful relationship, eventually going full circle with the masterpiece 'Homer's Enemy' which deconstructs the show itself!
It really felt like a final season to me. Too bad they kept going and fking destroyed this masterpiece of a show :/
Season 8 was finale to end franchise of The Simpsons
"You've just got to accept it. Your gameboy is gone. It's at the bottom of the ocean."
"Yarrr.... Yar."
I love the season, but there is one big problem that I’ve always had with it: In the x-files crossover episode, they make a joke about how Donkey Kong is a washed up star, claiming that he’s “not a draw anymore.” However in 1994, donkey Kong country released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System to high acclaim and massive popularity. Seeing as this season aired from 1996 through 1997, these games would’ve already been released by the time the episodes were being produced. Are we to assume The Simpsons takes place in some sort of alternate timeline where Nintendo never made Donkey Kong Country? Boy, I sure do hope somebody got fired for that blunder.
Hate Mate Perhaps they were making fun of the fact that DK wasn’t the star character in Donkey Kong Country 2 & 3, especially the latter where he just took a backseat in his game.
By the time of this season’s run, DK 64 was just an fictitious idea amongst Nintendo fans and one year away from being revealed publicly at E3.
Let me ask you a question: why would a man whose username is hate mate spend all his time watching a children's cartoon show?
ua-cam.com/video/Egw90I1qSCY/v-deo.html comment on that video
I always understood it as being a jab at not Donkey Kong himself, but literally the arcade game; the DK SNES games were terrifically popular, but by that point the older arcade title would have been exactly as joked about - a washed up star
Hate Mate I’m guessing the writers didn’t even know Donkey Kong country existed. People from that time and even now acknowledgement of video games only goes up the late 80s. I feel like there’s a bigger disconnect between fans of video games and general pop culture then there are of other mediums.
The party aspect was definitely what struck me most about this season. So many episodes are happy to conclude with a big singalong or a party on the beach. It's just a lot of fun.
“They say he carved it himself...from a bigger spoon.”
“This is like the most 90s thing the 90s has ever 90s’d.” Well, sign me in.
You have to do season 9! The city of New York vs Homer Simpson is one of my favourite episodes of the series!
hate to be a downer but jims has said he doesn't like the NY episode very much. It'll still probably be in the top 10 cause there's not a lot to pick from in season 9
Agent Clyde I dunno season 9 might of been the end of the golden era but I’d say it still is a strong season.
I think season 9 is pretty underrated and has some gems like the murder house episode and titans of trash, although I would say it marks the end of the golden era
@@colmcooney6835 I would give that to Season 10. There's some classics in that season as well and still keeps the charm from season 9
@@acblook No chance that makes it in his top ten even so. Re-arrange any of these to the preffered order, cut two to taste, and you'd have a perfectly cromulent s9 top ten: Lisa's Sax, Treehouse, Bart Star, Lisa the Skeptic, Reality Bites, Joy of Sect, Last Temptation, Lisa the Simpson, Simpson Tide, Girly Edition, Lost our Lisa, and Natural Born Kissers.
Season 8 was the first box set I got as a kid and therefore my first full exposure to the series. The season contains Hank Scorpio, Poochie, Frank Grimes, The Maison Derrière, Mr. Sparkle, Sheri Bobbins, Larry Burns... that's a DAMN good track record. Probably my favorite season.
Jims why did you bring us to Gay Steel Mill?
I don't know...
Oh, be nice.
We work hard
@@Zeno2806 We play hard
Hot stuff coming through, hot stuff.
The king is still going. Respect man
@Rafael Mauriciohe's a real one
I am always blown away by how thorough these reviews are. I can’t imagine how much work goes into making these. Keep up the good work
There is a theme in season 8 of failure to change. That in the end we are who we are, most episodes atick to this. Starting with Homer having to leave the only job he was good at to Sherry Bobbins faiiling to Sideshow Bob going to prison in spite of doing good.
Mr.Burns fails to be a loving father. When he does good, he is evil
Frank Grimes was the ultimate in this. His entire life was failing ro change. His big break was taken from him by a dog. Then he meets Homer and becomes determined to break Homer, only to break himself.
Appropriately the season ends with Lisa succcessfully changing a part of herself by beating the eliminator.
That is my take.
Finally, the retrospective ive been waiting for. Season 8 is so dear to me. As always, i really love the production side analysis and insight you provide.
It's impossible to imagine anyone extracting this much depth and nuance from any other sitcom. Goes to show how much ingenuity is packed into the Simpsons! There is never a moment wasted.
Season 8 is actually my favourite season with season 4 a close second.
Season 8 is one of my favorite seasons, there’s some great characters introduced there (Hank, Poochie, Cecil, & Grimey to name a few) & the episodes are all fun to watch
It's always great to get these from you Jims. Season 8 is definitely a great season, and like most I consider it the last truly classic season of the show even though I do still like a good amount of episodes from Seasons 9-14. I think Season 8 is the best example where the show was able to experiment and try out wackier concepts while still maintaining the heart and soul that the series had from the beginning. I think "heart" is one of the best words to use for what the more modern seasons lack. The reason that goofier and more experimental side worked so well here is because the show never betrayed what it was from the start in doing so. True many of the episodes here don't always have the funny but also heart warming feel that the earlier seasons had, but that doesn't mean that the show's heart was lost. I still love many episodes from this season, and many of my favorite moments include the musical number from Bart After Dark, the entirety of You Only Move Twice, and the awkward yet sweet relationship between Skinner and Edna in Grade School Confidential. I also love all the fun moments from The Springfield Files, and the crazy acid trip that Homer has is weirdness done right in the show. While Season 8 isn't in the top 5 of my favorite of the classic seasons, I still regard it as one of the series' best, and I look forward to your top 10 for this season. Great job as always dude, and your Simpsons content is always great to watch in these rather awful times we're currently having. You really are a great UA-camr.
For me, season 8 is has possibly the most truly outstanding episodes of any season
Hell yeah, many seasons would kill to have an s files or an you only move twice in their episode list, season 8 has a lot of quality overall
@@planeta3059 And one stinker.
Seasons 4-7 are much funnier
For me Season 1-8 were best memorable just in my opinion
@@user-ug2oz8fj1q in order: 4, 6, 8.
Does anyone else remember when Bart let his dog eat Milhouse’s goldfish, then he lied and said he never had a goldfish but then why did he have the bowl, Bart? *WHY DID HE HAVE THE BOWL?*
Lmao!! I totally forgot about that line.
Season 8 is one I’ve never disliked although I always left it off the Golden Age until I finally rewatched it a few years ago for the first time in over a decade. In terms of one big lump, seasons 2-8 are what I would consider the full Golden Age of THE SIMPSONS.
While there is a definite shift away from the character driven stories in season 8, the freshness of the material works quite well and I still very much enjoy most of the concepts they dish out. It really isn’t until season 9 and 10 that you start to see the show fraying before it drastically begins to fall apart in 11 and 12.
I would argue that Al Jean helped stabilize it somewhat for seasons 13-19 but then it nosedives after they get into the 20s.
Season 8 is carefree and fun and lively while also having a chill vibe at times. You certainly hit that nail on the head.
Lastly, I haven’t commented on your posts yet I don’t think but I greatly enjoy them. I think my top 10 seasons (which would be the first 10 of course) would be as follows:
4
6
7
2
3
5
8
1
10
9
Anthony Host I agree, though I’d put series 9 as part of the golden age personally. Despite the shift in Homers personality, I still thought nearly every episode was extremely solid and still got a lot of laughs. Season 10 is where the cracks definitely start to show and like you said, it just gets worse from there...
@@InputArchive Season 10 is the first inconsistent season imo, if you include the Ullman shorts which had 3 seasons, and add them to the first 9, you've got 12 very fine seasons indeed.
2-8 is my golden age as well. It's not often I see someone exclude season one from the golden age; it probably shouldn't be excluded, but I agree that it's among my least favorites because of the sad story lines (and that babysitter episode that scared the crap out of me as a kid) and bad animation. I thought season 10 was the last "good" season and 11-14 were watchable and mostly enjoyable, but clearly not as good. From 15 on I pretty much stopped watching
Al Jean dropped the ball way harder than then the skully years. Season 10 and 11 have some good episodes but season 12-20 are horrid to say the least. Completely different show and the writers/directors/showrunners had to be doing 30 hour work weeks. Everything's a first draft with those seasons.
If the Simpsons ended with this season, I think it actually would've been a fine conclusion to the series. The penultimate episode "Spinoff showcase" would have worked as a "what if" prediction of the ridiculous scenarios that would've happened if the Simpsons continued, and the military school episode as the series finale being a fairly typical family relationship episode would've been a fine note to end on.
I've never thought about the military school episode as a series final, but I completely agree, It would have been great.
and final episodes usually always have a bittersweet feeling to them as you watch them and know they are the last one which wouldve perfectly fit the episode
actually maybe season 9 wouldve been a better finale. Natural Born Kissers wouldve been a great end for the Simpsons
I always thought the 'Behind The Laughter' episode would've been a good ending, as you still get the good episodes that appeared in subsequent seasons.
The spinoff episode should have been fused into an actual Simpsons spinoff series while the episode should have been the series finale: the one that could have been a satisfying conclusion to the show had they ended right there.
4:04 “Don’t blame me I voted for Kodos.”
personally season 8 is one of my all time favourite seasons. i can't put my finger on it, but i love the wacky concepts and humour.
It's one of my favorites as well! 4, 7, and 8 are my favorite seasons. I also think that any season that contains, arguably, the two best episodes of the entire show ("You Only Move Twice" and "Homer's Enemy"), has to be a pretty good one!
you continue to be THE most analytical voice for the Simpsons, man. I'm really interested in how you tackle the lesser liked seasons.
I couldn't decide on a quote, as practically every single line from this series is really memorable.
"OH COUSIN MERLE, REALLY?"
"Temper, temper. You know Cousin Merle ain't been quite right lately."
Oh, and Johnny Cash is in this series. What more would you want?
Season 8 is definitely my favorite season, so many amazing, out-there stories and jokes. Homer's Enemy is the show's opus, as far as I'm concerned.
Also, season 8 contains my all-time favorite Homer quote, courtesy of My Sister My Sitter, "Don't laugh at me! I was once like you!"
Bart: "Guess who?"
Cecil: "Maris?"
I love that episode
That is such a great joke
The last season every die-hard Simpson fan must have. There are some real gems in this batch.
That's so true. Simpsons golden era was without debate 2-8 seasons. Just stop watching after season 8, you are only going to downgrade the experience as the next seasons after this are just plain and simple bad. Even season 1 is better than the seasons that came after season 8. I would say this is how the series should be presented: Pre golden era season 1
@@lazaroiu.iulianlazaroiu.iu6330that the spirit it was. I heard Season 9 had holdover of Season 7 or Season 8. So I can think Season 9 started to downhill franchise of The Simpsons it should have ended there especially Season 9 episode 2
@@lazaroiu.iulianlazaroiu.iu6330Classic Simpsons boomer dismissing everything after season 8 as bad, despite there being several good seasons with tons of great episodes in those ones. Heck, season 1 and maybe 2 are just plain worse than some of the ones after 8. They’re still worth watching of course but not any more than anything right after season 8.
Pre-Classic: 48TU -- s1(e1-4)
Early Classic: s1(e5+) -- s2
Middle Classic: 3-4
High Classic: 5-6
Late Classic: 7-8
Transition Classic: 9-10
Transition Modern: 11-12
Early Modern: 13-15
Late Modern: 16-19
Early HD: 20-29
Late HD: 30+
Amirio
There’s no “Transition HD” era?
The thing that I find so enthralling about Season 8 is its creative freedom. They didn’t have any filters this go-around, they just said and did whatever they wanted. It’s a blessing and a curse, because it’s very entertaining in the moment...but look at what happened with Season 9. I’ll always remember 8 for its experimentation, but I tend to remember its simpler episodes too. Also since you’re heading into less consistent years, you might want to consider a bottom list along with the top list from now on, give a more even look at each season’s draws and drawbacks.
Why spare the "golden age" from having a bottom list?
I didn’t know people disliked this season. I thought it was a classic.
I don't think many do. Pretty much everyone includes it in the classic era, the debate is whether seasons one, nine and ten count.
I've literally never seen someone say they disliked this season.
Evidence First · 12 Years Ago Well the vibe I got from a small amount comments is that this season is a mixed bag and is the decline of the show.
@@mankytoes Supereyepatchwolf did.
@@adeptdamage3669 And he's a pretentious ass. Calling SH3 terrible, seriously?
Hey kids, always recycle... TO THE EXTREME!!!
BUSTED! You know, I love how the episode's "The End" credit doesn't feature music. It's like the Itchy and Scratchy writers are saying "Yeah, we don't know either."
Yes I certainly do "I have to go now my planet needs me"
"Change the channel Marge"
"That's our Homer"
“This is the most 90’s thing the 90’s have ever 90’s” I love this line so much Haha
You Only Move Twice was my “BEE” for 10 years and I still think Season 8 is the strongest in the Simpsons history.
This. It's by far my number one episode. Can't think of another episode where every single scene without exception has something genuinely funny in it, even after a few dozen watches.
I moved here from Canada and they think I’m slow eh.
@@bradcarver8127 I fell off the jungle gym and when I woke up I was in here.
“This is a black day for baseball.” Still the best line from that season.
Buns Baby Burns is possibly my favorite episode ever, definitely my favorite of season 8. I am, of course, blinded and biased by my love of Rodney Dangerfield, but they used him so perfectly. The "I don't get no regard, no regard at all, no esteem neither" line is brilliant. Also one of the very few Simpsons figures I chose to own is Larry Burns.
My favourite moment has to be 'Guess who likes you', followed by a cut of Millhouse being rushed to hospital.
Me: *Binges all the retrospective videos at 3:00 am*
TheRealJims: Hey here’s a new one
Me: nice
Yes! This made my day today! Season 8 is one of my favorite seasons, so I was really looking forward to this retrospective! I can't wait for the Top 10 episode list for this season!
Phenonemal work as always, and you're pretty much the reason why I have a Disney+ sub to finally check out the later years at last.
Hey wait a minute! There's no such thing as a Talking Dog?!
🐕: WOOF WOOF!
DAMN STRAIT!
Hi Homer! Find your soulmate!
@@thetribalist6923 and the talking space coyote is nothing more than a talking dog
The "Party Season" is what I would describe Season 8 as a whole. They really embrace the 90's "In Your Face" attitude.
Hey, could that be the ‘Just Stamp the Ticket Man’ at the Science Fair at 12:03?
Another great video ! I had just finished watching Season 8 and out of all the season's so far, this one for me was perhaps the hardest to rank it's episode's. I also noticed how it had a much more faster, more experimental, and an overall more different feel than the previous season. That said, I really enjoyed Season 8, it was a lot of fun to watch, although I think compared to the high bar that Season's 6 and 7 brought it does kind of feel like a stepdown, which I guess was otherwise expected. I will say that this season hands down has some of the best episode's of the entire show so far. Treehouse of Horror VII is probably the last Halloween episode of the show I would consider being consistently great, with the Citizen Kang segment easily in the top 5, especially given how the last few decade's have been in American Politics. You Only Move Twice is a perfect episode with the Simpson's family moving to a new city and end up not being satisfied, and Hank Scorpio is such a great one off character. Other great episode's include The Springfield Files, Hurricane Needy, The Mysterious Voyage Of Our Homer, Homer Vs The Eighteenth Amendment, Mountians Of Madness, The Itchy & Scratchy Show, Grade School Confidential, and, of course, Homer's Enemy. That said, there was some noticeably weaker episode's of this year. My Sister, My Sitter was kind of a weak setup of an otherwise interesting plot, and I didn't like just how cruel Bart acted here. And there's also The Twisted World Of Marge Simpson which I just kind of found to be forgettable. But other than that, and a few lighter end good episode's, Season 8 was yet another awesome season to the show. I'm not sure yet how Season 9 will turn out, as the crew from this point forward gets shaky. I know a lot of people don't consider the rest of this point on as the "Golden Age Of The Simpson's" anymore, but I still have a lot of hope.
Here's my season's im terms of where I would rank them so far:
1.Season 6
2.Season 7
3.Season 5
4.Season 4
5.Season 8
6.Season 3
7.Season 2
8.Season 1
Season 8 has some of my favourites in it! It was definitely the season whose episodes seemed to hit the rerun circuit most often when I was a kid.
I like Season 8 a lot and there are many classic episodes and my favourite moment is Milhouse saying "guess who likes you" which still makes me laugh.
by far my favorite thing about your videos is how you manage to sneak in quotes during your review. "especially bart, but ESPECIALLY LISA" I know it's swapped around but I still appreciate it a lot lol
Thanks! You have no idea how long I debated whether that line worked better if I quoted Bob exactly or if it was better to finish with Lisa, lol. Went back and forth several times
Wasn't it going opposite way in Bob's quote? "Especially Lisa, but especially Bart!"
@@rheubarbarum5423 Yeah, it is supposed to be Bart second. I decided switching it would be a more unexpected punchline and hits the Helen Lovejoy ref a bit harder
Sorry, I see now swap is mentioned.
In your last speech, you explained why I love season 8 of The Simpsons, experimental, fun, wacky but also with good emotion and PARTY !
"they party so much because the Simpsons family is on drugs for so much of it, especially Bart, but *especially* Lisa" this line always makes me crack up, the visual comedy is unparalleled
I cannot wait for this season's top 10. So many great episodes, one of them arguably being the greatest of all time.
Tho one bad episode.
Man, this is going to be a TOUGH top 10 to come up with for this season. So many classic, hilarious moments in this season!
Great use of Dan's theme in the background. Ooshaaah!
Season 8 is an interesting transitional time in the history of The Simpsons (as stated in this video).
Much like how the mass exodus of writers/directors following Season 4 forced the show to tweak their formula (for the better), the exit of David Silverman and Wes Archer had a profound impact on the show's animation. This season keeps that mid-'90s look, but you can tell the Season 9-onward art style is right around the corner. Then greenhorns Mike Scully and Ian Maxtone-Graham brought a different flavor to their stories that would inform the writing going forward. Even as this season was airing and S9 was in the works, Matt Groening and David X. Cohen were co-developing Futurama, putting both their attentions elsewhere.
I've also heard that there was a feeling, much like w/ S4, that the show wouldn't be going for much longer (I know, funny in retrospect), so that may explain the experimental feel to this season. Oakley & Weinstein had fun playing w/ their toys in S7, and now they were ready to break them in S8, leaving the mess (a good kind) for S9 to clean up.
This is my favourite season. So many damn good episodes
I never thought about meta-analyzing shows before, let alone along so many dimensions... You’ve changed my life.
Dude, fantastic video man. I always love watching every single one of your videos! They're so well done and really give a lot of insight to Simpsons episodes i haven't thought twice about. Keep em coming man!
you don’t know how much I wanted this man, Respect to the Retrospect King
I was born in 83 so Season 8 hit around the time I was finishing grade school and entering high school, and, with that, developing a much more jaded and cynical view of the world. I think by Season 9 or 10, I was able to start looking at the show critically and, in doing so, recognize a decline.
Also, the "Wizards Key" joke is one of my favourites in the series. I think I mentioned this in another video, but it's funny to me because it reminds me of licensed games that are very, very loosely based on their source material, and the way I suspect adults would react to them.
I was born in 86 and when Season 9 came out I definitely felt something was amiss, though I couldn't put my finger on it being only 11 or 12 at the time.
Love your work, really takes a lot of insight and attention to detail to deconstruct these seasons. Season 8 will forever have a special place in my heart for the special brand of humor and the introduction of Hank Scorpio.
Thanks for another great video! I hope you touch on Das Bus during the Season 9 Retrospective, it's a great episode!
What a coincidence, I finished watching the retrospective playlist last night
So looking forward to the inevitable top 10 all time episodes in about 28 months.
It always amazes me how many new things I learn from there videos- I am a major fan and watched especially Season 8 so many times, cuz its my favourite, and I thought by now I noticed everything, but somehow i was never aware of the amount of party in this season. Great work as always!
S8 was definitely the turning point for me. It had a lot of hits, but it also had the beginning seeds of the random absurdity of the post-Golden Era, especially with the random endings
For me, random endings are fine as long as they are rare enough that they are genuinely surprising. Pretty soon it reaches the point where it's more surprising if they actually do a proper endinig, ala Family Guy.
For me, the season Enders for both season 7 and 8 are like twins. They have a lot in common. Both about Lisa and part Bart, and both go to far places.
That’s a nice way to see it.
Yeah, they both gave us episodes that stand out.
I love the contrast with ending such a meta and surreal season with a relatively down to earth story where Bart and Lisa actually grow as characters.
My head-canon ending for this show is Homer's Enemy.
X-files episode creeped the hell out of me when I was a young teenager.
To credit Marge for one thing, I'm sure my wife hates me for how often I say "Or-a-gon-o, what the hell?" every time I'm in the kitchen.
I never noticed this much partying until now.
Awesome I just saw it the minute you posted it!
Me too!
Thank you for making these videos. I love them so much.
Season 8 sticks out to me the most.
I think the funny thing about seasons 7, 8 and 9 is that most shows are ending after that many seasons and the writers feel like this might be their time so let’s get introspective, or meta, or just crazy because it’s all probably gonna end soon. That’s why we have episodes like ‘Homer’s Enemy’ or ‘The Itchy and Scratchy and Poochy Show’ But of course the show kept lurching on so you get the golden age of S3-6, with the meta, introspective S7-9 so we can end on a high. But then it just kept going on.
To this day one of my favorite Simpsons moments is when Homer is walking into the ring to fight Drederick Tatum and they have “Why Can’t We Be Friends” playing on the speakers
Hahaha love that bit too, man xp
Wow I love this season! It's so bouncy! Very good job, doing your retrospective! This is another great season to relax with and yeah it does have some of the best Moe jokes for sure! The scene with Moe and Barney in the Sherry Bobbins episode is one of my all time favorite moments ever!
Oh gosh! One more season and you’ll end the Gold Age.
Well for me season 10 to 13 are underrated. 😭
I actually think the Simpions golden age ended more ambiguously during the mid Bush years. Mainly when the episodes became a lot more topical to reflect the satire of the era.
Anything after season 10 I just delete them from my DVR.
you're in for a rude awakening once he reviews them lol
10-13 are quite underrated.
During that time we get Mission Impossible and Weekend at Burnsies among other great ones.
Actually, no, he has now done the Golden era.
Honestly I think season 8 is one of my favourite seasons. Seems to be one I always revisit.
Alright we’re 1/4 of the way through the seasons at this point in time
Yeah, but we're 100% through the good ones...
17 seconds after posting., this may be my earliest ever. perfect way to spend my lunch hour.
@Lee O’kelly bold of you to assume i would only watch once.
I'm also on a lunch break bro!
An unforgettable luncheon
Your channel gave me the motivation to make a spreadsheet rating every Simpsons episode from 1-400 (with the Simpsons Movie at the end). Love every upload, keep it up
"It doesn't matter which one of us you vote for, your planet is doomed. DOOMED!!"
"(Chuckles) Well, that was a refreshingly honest reply from Senator Dole."
"That is it Ned, if you don't unplug the phone right now you're sleeping on the lawn!"
WILL BOTH OF YOU SHUP UP!!!!
Love your channel especially the Simpsons Mysteries. Looking forward to retrospectives on seasons 15 onward since I usually stick with “Golden Age” Simpsons and not sure which episodes are worth watching in later seasons
I think Simpsons would have ended perfectly with an episode that would have celebrated the destruction of the media landscape of 1980s: The main thing that motivated to make the show in the first place.
Your retrospective videos are always so comprehensive and great! Love the work you do :D
You’re criminally underrated
I think Abe was the biggest loser this season. After being a badass last season, he’s reduced to chasing a turtle that took his teeth. In the same episode he’s just lost in the woods for some reason and there’s also "I had the dream again".
In fairness the 'badass' side of Abe being the more hidden aspect of him was the norm. If anything he's improved since 'Old Money' where a turtle completely outpaces him. XD
*Mr. Burns* - How did Season 8 do?
*Season 6 Simpsons* - He spelled "Yale" with a 6.
*Season 7 Simpsons* - He made light of my weight problem, then suggested my motto should be semper fudge. At that point he told me to "relax".